Deseronto Building Department staff will review your application to confirm that the proposed work complies with the Building Code and other laws set out in the Building Code, such as local zoning by-laws. They may send your application to other local/municipal officials for comments.  For information regarding fees, please refer to the Building Permit Fee document, included under the Guides section. Building permit applications can be found under the Applications & Forms section.

Applications for a simple alteration or addition can be processed fairly quickly, but more complex proposals may take longer. The Building Code requires that a municipality review a permit application within a certain time-frame where the application meets the criteria set out in the Code. For example, the time-frame on a permit application for a house is 10 days.  For a more complex building, such as a hospital, the time frame is 30 days. Within this time-frame, a municipality must either issue the permit or refuse it with full reasons for denial.

In order to be issued a permit, the proposed construction must comply with the Building Code and with the applicable laws set out in the Building Code. If you need a zoning change or a minor variance from the zoning by-law (municipal zoning is considered applicable law), or if the proposed construction does not comply with the Building Code, a permit will not be issued until the zoning change or minor variance has been obtained, or the proposed construction complies with the Building Code.

If your property is covered by a site plan control by-law, you will not get a building permit until the plans and drawings have been approved by the municipality.

If your municipality refuses your application, you will be told why. If you can’t resolve the problems with the municipality, you have a few options for appealing their decision.

• If the problem relates to technical requirements set out in the Building Code, you may apply to the Building Code Commission. The Building Code Commission is an independent adjudicative tribunal of the provincial government whose mandate is to hear disputes related to compliance with the technical requirements of the Building Code. If you wish to apply to the Building Code Commission for a hearing, you can find their address at the end of this guide. You can also find the Building Code Commission’s application forms and their Guidelines, Policies and Procedures on the Building Code Website under “Appeals and Approvals”.
• If the problem relates to compliance with other applicable laws, such as interpretation of the zoning by-law, you can appeal to a judge of the Superior Court of Justice, who will review the zoning and decide whether your application complies with the zoning by-law. You may want to talk to a lawyer first.